The Flock

This has been such a great week on the farm.  The weather is gorgeous, we got some much needed rain, but it's not too muddy .  Not too hot, just cold enough to feel good.  I spent a lot of time in the yard with my poultry and my guardian animals- all of us just sitting in the sunshine. 

My flock is eclectic.  I have purchased birds at farms, at fairs, and at the hatchery.  I've hatched a few of my own, which is a whole other post.

Big Boy, Alpha, Mary Todd (in yellow) and her sister

I have a Rhode Island Red Rooster named Big Boy.  Big Boy was attacked by dogs last spring and is now sans tailfeathers.  He looks funny, but still fulfills his prime directive. The oldest chicken in my flock is Alpha, a bossy female White Leghorn who still lays one white egg a day. I think she must be 5 years old.  Amazing.  I have three Americauna hens, two Cinnamon Queens, one Golden Comet, and three little Welsummers in the big house. I have 6 little chickens- 3 months old, in the little chicken house, and three little hatchlings in my living room.



Left to right, Male Ancona, Female Welsh Harlequin and Female Ancona

There are three ducks, too.  A pair of Anconas and one Welsh Harlequin.  They are my husbands pets. Well, he really wants to eat some, but they are such good egg layers that we may breed them instead.  I bought them from a lady down the road who had a coyote kill most of her flock and wanted out of the duck biz.  It turns out that Anconas and Welsh Harlequins are rare and in danger of dying out so I don't think we will be eating them until we build a flock.  If then. 

I kind of have two flocks of chickens going.  The first one is my egg laying flock.  My goal is to get 300 eggs a year from each hen, and a variety of egg colors.  Some of my little hens are from my best layers, so I'm looking forward to strengthening the laying ability of my flock.  I have white eggs, pink, green, an occasional blue, brown and dark brown layers.  Pretty pretty eggs!


My second flock is of Welsummers. Welsummer is a dutch chicken- the chicken of Kelloggs Cornflakes fame is a Welsummer.  They are good layers of dark brown eggs, and they don't eat much.  They are also fairly uncommon.  They are very personable and chatty hens that follow me around if they have something to say.  And they have a lot to say.  They chew me out when I'm late with breakfast, or if I'm absent for a couple of days.  I have three hens in the big house, and two tiny roosters and a hen in the nursery right now. 

The winter will be harder- I'll be trying to keep the houses warm and the water unfrozen.  But right now it's perfect.